Cryptographic typewriter



P. G. G. BEYEFI.

CRYPTOGBAPHIC TYPEWRITER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I2. |920.

Patented May 2, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MIMAQG.

'secret text.

PATENT OFFICE.

PETER GEORG GROVE BEYER, OF CHAILATTENLUND, DENMARK CRYPTOGRAPHIC TYPEWRITER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1922.

.Application led August 12, 1920. Serial No. 403,123,

1'0 all whom t may concer/n:

.Be it known that I. PE'rEn Gnou@ GROVE BETER, assistant, a subiect of the King of Denmark, residing at Chailattenlund. in the Kingdom of Denmark, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cryptographie Typewriters, of which the following is a specification. The present invention relates to a cryptographic machine for simultaneous writing of messages or the like with ordinary and with The object of the invention is to provide a machine of this kind by which it becomes feasible to write down, at the senders pla-ce, a message in cryptographic alphabet `which can be read only by the receiver by copying it in another writing machine, which is arranged exactly in accordance with the one used at the senders place. This result is attained by the provision, in

vcombination with an ordinary hand-operated typewriter or built together with the same, of another or secondary typewriter whose roller works perfectly synchronously with the firstmentioned or primary typewriter and whose keys are depressed simultaneously with the keys on the primary typewriter but in different order, the said depression being determined by a distributer having a movable panel of cross-wise interconnected contacts which panel is inserted in an electric circuit between the two key systems, and is moved forward or backward by each depression of a key on the primary typewriter, closing thereby for each depression a new `connection to'some key on the secondary typewriter. The selection, through the distributer, of keys in the secondary typewriter is performed by means of a cam disc whose periphery is fitted with a number of projections and which is turned forward a certain distance for each depression of a key on the primary typewriter.

The invention is illustrated in outline on the drawing, where--` Fig. l shows diagrammatically a vertical transverse section of the two typewriters built together, some of the parts thereof being shown, for the sake of clearness, in other positions than those in which they are placed on the machines scale relatively to those,

Fig 2 a portion of the same, in top view,

ligs. 3 and et some details on an enlarged sca e.

nFig. 5 is a plan view of a complete machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

4As thel senders and receivers machines are identical in every respect, I shall describe herein only one of such machines. F are the keys of the primary typewriter at the senders position, and J` the roller of this machine. .I are the type levers with pivot H, and G are connecting rods connecting each type lever with its corresponding key. P is a rod one end of which is pivotally connected to the connecting rod Gr, the other end of which is connected to an arm Q on a shaft R fitted with a loose gear wheel S. The arm Q, shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 carries a pawl which engagesthe gear wheel 'S in such a manner that the latter is unable to turn unless the lever Q be moved backward into the position shown in Fig. l, after the corresponding key has been depressed.

is the roller in the. secondary typewriter, which roller with the parts-belonging thereto may be connected to the roller J in suitable manner and may be moved in perfect synchronism with the roller J.

M are the type levers belonging tothe secondary typewriter and N their pivot. The free ends o the type levers M are connected to connecting rods Ii which are connected, at their opposite ends. to pivoted arms 2, which are supported h v an angle iron 3. 4' are spring-actuated levers which tend to maintain the keys l" in the striking position.

and on an enlarged Each key F is fitted with a projection 5, and when a key is depressed, this pro- When this circuit is closed, the armature tion of the armatures with such levers, and' the-particular form -et. lever is immaterial, it being essential only that such leyer when swung on its piiiot. shall .carry its typeharto printing position. 0

The particular typelthat strikes the roller O in response to the manipulation of any key of the primary typewriter depends on the position of the contact panel .10 at the m07 ment when said key is depressed. As shown in Fig. 4, the distributer consists of a frame having two side bars 6 and 7, each carrying -a series of contact strips or leaves, designated 8 and 9 respectively. The strips 8 and 9 are arranged in pairs opposite each ot-her, that is to say, each strip 9 of the bar directly in alignment with a strip 8 of the bar 6. Each contact strip`9 is electrically connected through the current reverser B with'the movable switch member A, which, as hereinbefore stated, is adapted to be 0perated bythe projection or lug 5 carried by a. key lever of the primary typewriter, it being understood that each of the key levers is provided vwith a similar lug for operating a similar switch member A into contact with a fixed switch member' in electrical connection with one pole of the battery E or other source of current. Each oit the contact strips 8 issimilarly connected throughtlie current reverser B and through the coil of an elec- I tro-mavnetfD witlitthe other pole of the bat.-

-tery. Between the longitudinal bars 6 and 7 of the distributer, a sliding carriage 10 is provided, which carriage' constitutes a contact panel or bridge, and carries along each lon itudinal edge a series of contact strips or laminations, 11 and 12, adapted to contact respectively with the contact strips 8 and 9 of the bars 6 and 7, said strips 11 and 12 being arbitrarily interconnected by means of cross connecting wires 13. The carriage v1() is constantly urged Jin one direction by a helical spring 14, (see Fig. 2) supportedbetween a fixed bracket 'andone end of the carriage 10, said carriage having at its op- *posite end an extension V the free end of which engages a cam disc U having an irregular periphery, the'extension V being maintained constantly in lengagement with the cam disc by means of the spring 14. The

disc-U is attached to a shaftv 16 which also supports a gear wheel T which engages the .gear-wheel S and, consequently, is turned one'tooth forwa =d whenever a key has been depressed and again released. The disc U is 'of letters.

thus rotated* continuously in the same direction during operation of the typewriter, so

,that'the carriage 10 is moved to one or the other side depending on its extension bearing against a-more or less projecting portion to one of the contact strips 9, and through a contact strip 12, wire 13, contact strip 11, strip 8, reverser B, electromagnet 'D, and back to the battery, whereby a typebar of the secondary typewriter is operated.

When writing commences, always be adjusted into a cert-ain initial position and, consequently, the carriage 10 will also occupy a certain definite position in the frame 6, 7. Il now for instance -the key a of the keyboard of the primary typewriter's is depressed, the circuit belonging to this key will be closed by way of the corresponding contact strip 8 of the frame bar 6, the

conductor 13 of the carriage 1 terminating opposite the said strip, see Figf4, and by way of the contact strip 9 on the bar 7 at the opposite end ofthe conductor, which strip corresponds to the type z in the secondary typewriter. By the closure of the circuit,

this type will consequently be printed on the sheet of paper on the roller O. When now theI depressed type a? is released its circuit will be opened, the disc U having been turned a distance corresponding to the angular dis'- placement of the gear wheel T, whereby the carriage 10 is moved in lone direction or the other. Consequently, if the type a is again depressed, the type z will not be printed' again on the sheet of paper of the roller 0,

but another type corresponding to the new circuit which because-'of the movement of the` carriage, has been established through the contact strip 8 of the type 11, the connecting conductorvlI-l in the carriage 10 and a connected contact sti-ip 9 on the bar 7. In 110 similar manner closure of the circuits for the other depressed keys F will be attained, so that in every case other types will be depressed on the sheet of paper of the roller O than those corresponding to the \kevs depressed on the.primary typewriter. lt will therefore be seen thatv while the text of the vmessage proper is written legibly on lthe paper sheet of thev roller J of the primary typewriter, there willbe produced on the 120 paper sheet ofthe roller 0 ofthe secondary typewriter a perfectly unintelligible jumble The latter may be deciphered only by means of a typewriter arran ed exactly like the one described above am? contact panel corresponds exactly to the contact panel in the transmitting machine and, furthermore, a disc corresponding exactly to the 'disc U iii the transmitting machine. Finally, an agreement must have the disc U must 80 been made in advance as to how the disc U is to be adjusted, when the deciphering operation is to commence, as this disc must be placed in the same initial position as in thev transmitting machine.

When the deciphering is to commence, the

.contact panel reverser B of the receiving machine must be turned 90 relatively to that of the transmitting machine.

The message received is now copied on the roller J of the receiving machine exactly as it appears on the paper received. In other words, the primary typewriter must bev operated so as to produce on the paper carried by its roller J a duplicate of the unintelligible message, which message willbe so transferred by means of the circuits above described to the paper carried by the roller 0 of the secondary typewriter of the receiving machine as to produce an exact duplicate of the intelligible message as it was originally written on the primary typewriter of the transmitting machlne.

By the use or other discs U with a periphery of other shape than the one shown, the text will be rendered unintelligible to everybody except the erson possessing a` corre-- sponding disc. Illiereby, it becomes feasible for instance for a government to send messages to its various representatives, without anybody being able to read the same except the personfor whom'each individual message is intended.

As it will be understood from the above, the carriage l0 and disc U are interchangeable with corresponding parts of different shape and construction, and the condition, for correspondence is therefore that the ciphering machines of, the sender and the receiver should have exactly the Same carriage 10, as well as exactly t-lie same cam. disc U,and that sender and receiver have mutually agreed as to how the disc` U is to be placed at the commencement of the ciphering and deciphering respectively.

The carriage 10 may be composed of shorter sections superimposed on each other in the shape of a block, whereby the length becomes shorter.

Instead of a sliding carriage 10 with crossconnected panel use may be made of a rotary roller on which a cross-connected contact panel is arranged in corresponding manner.

Instead of effecting the motion of the cam disc by means of the keys or the connecting bars of the same, this motion may be effected by either of the typewriter carriages,

. namely so that the carnage, whenever it moves one letter space forward, will turn the disc a certain fraction of a revolution. By

' the last mentioned manner of moving the cam disc, the device is simplified somewhat, as it will then be unnecessary to have a special set of bars for each key in order to transmit this motion lVhen the source of current is removed from the writing machine, the latter may be used as an ordinary typewriter. Instead of building together a typewriter with a set of type levers and a roller belonging thereto, two typewriters may be placed together, the keys of the secondary typewriter being actuated in similar manner to the type levers of the above described construction, while the rollers should be interconnected as described above.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: l

l. A cryptographic apparatus, comprising-,in combination, a primary typewriter and a secondary typewriter, said'typewriters being adapted for synchronous operation, the primary typewriter being adapted to be manually operated, electrically operated means between said typewriters, and operable on the operation of said primary typewriter for operating the secondary typewriter, and means operatedby said primary typewriter for irregularly and arbitrarily selecting the typebar of the secondary typewriter to be operated on the operation of the primary typewriter.

2. A cryptographic apparatuscomprising, in combination, a primary typewriter and a secondary typewriter, said typewriters being adapted for synchronous operation, the prmary typewriter being adapted to be manually operated, electrically operated means between said typewriters and operable on the operation of said primary typewriter for operating the secondary typewriter, said electrically operated means including a series of stationary contact members for the keys of .each of Ysaid typewriters and a member slidable between said series and having a series of contact members for each of said stationary series, the contacts of one of said slidable series being arbitrarily connected with the contacts of the othe slidable series, and means operated by said primary typewriter for irregularly sliding said slidable member thereby to select a typebar of they secondary typewriter to be operated on the operation of the primary typewriter.

3. A cryptographic apparatus, comprising, in combination, a primary typewriter and a secondary typewriter,said typewriters being adapted for synchronous operation, the primary typewriter being adapted to be manually operated, electrically operated means between'said typewriters and operable on the operation of said primary typewriter for operating the secondary typewriter, said electrically `operated means including a series of stationary contact members for the keys of each of said typewriters and a member reciprocable between said series and having a series of contact members for each of s aid stationary series, the contacts of one of said reciprocable series being arbitrarily connected with the contacts of the lother reciprocable series, and vmeans operated by said primary typewriter for irregularly moving sald reciprocable members thereby to select a typebar of the secondary typewriter to be operated on the writer. i

4. A cryptographic apparatus, eomprising,

in combinatlon, a primary typewriter and a secondary typewriteraid typewriters being adapted for synchronous operation, the primary typewriter being adapted to be manually operated, electrically operated means between said typewriters and operable on the operation of said primary typewriter for operatin the secondary typewriter, -said electrica y operated means including a series-:of stationary contact members for the keys :of each of said typewriters and a member slidable between sald'series and having a serles of contact members for each of said Stationary series, the contacts of one of said :to be operated on the operation of the pr1- mary typewriter.

operation of the primary ,type-1 r 5. Aeryptographc apparatus, comprising, 1n combination, a primary typewriter and a secondary typewriter,v said typewriters being adapted for synchronous eperation,'the primary typewriter being adapted to be manually operated, electrically operated means bef tween said' typewriters and operable on the leperatipn'of said rimary typewriter for operating the secon ary typewriter, said elec- 'tricallyi operated means including a series of stationary contact' members for the keys of each ofsaid typewriters and a member reciprocable between said series and having a series of contact members for each of said stationary series, the contacts of one of said neciprocable series being arbitrarily connected with the contacts of thev other reciprocable series, a rotatable cam disk operable by said primary typewriter and having a periphery adapted lto transmit an irregular sliding movement to said reciprocable member in "one direction, and flexible means for retaining the reciprocable member is .contact with sald cam disk.

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification,

Y J PETER GEORG GROVE BEYER.

Witnesses: I

V. BnmeHNER, T. Jansen.'

Signed my 

